Scholastic & Graduation Requirements

Category: NC

Students must submit assignments and complete a course in sixty (60) days or less for three (3) credit courses. Online examinations must be taken prior to the end date of the course. Conferences must be completed no later than two (2) weeks after the final course assignment is graded. Proctored conferences via Skype are required in certain courses in this program. Students do not need to wait for their course to be finalized before requesting their next course and are encouraged to enroll in the subsequent course as soon as possible after completing online course requirements and submitting all assignments.

Most Hawthorn University students take only one course at a time. Students can complete this forty-eight (48) credit program in twenty-four (24) months if enrolled in multiple courses at the same time.

Hawthorn is obligated to report graduation statistics based on formulas defined by the CA BPPE. Using their guidelines, a 100% completion rate for the NC program is defined as the successful completion of the program within forty-eight (48) months or fifty-one (51) months for the 52-credit program. Students who complete their courses within seventy-two (72) months are considered 150% completers and those that complete in seventy-seven (77) months for the 52-credit program) are defined as 150% completers.

Some students have extraordinary life circumstances that take them over published completion rates. Students are encouraged to complete coursework in a timely manner and proceed to graduation! Students experiencing extraordinary circumstances can review the leave of absence policy or petition for a program extensions in this catalog or the student handbook.

To graduate, students must complete all assignments and achieve an average grade of C or better. Students must resubmit assignments that have received a grade of F. Students must clear all financial obligations, and their student file must be complete before a certificate is awarded.

Hawthorn University does not have a cumulative final test or examination required for the completion of the NC program.

Course Grading Scales

Letter grades are determined according to the following scale:

Grade

Score

Description

Grade Points

A

100-94

Excellent

4.0

A-

93-90

High Quality

3.7

B+

89-87

Very Good

3.3

B

86-84

Good

3.0

B-

83-80

Acceptable

2.7

C+

79-77

Fair

2.3

C

76-73

Poor

2.0

C-

72-70

Very Poor

1.7

D+

69-67

Low Quality

1.3

D

66-63

Lower Quality

1.0

D-

60-62

Lowest Quality

0.7

F

Below 59

Failure

0.0

Grade Point Average

Students in a graduate program must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above to graduate. The registrar calculates grade point averages according to the point values in the grading scale. A grade of W (Withdraw) does not calculate into the GPA. Withdrawals, however, may be counted toward credits attempted for academic progress requirements.

Students who deserve recognition for excellence in academic performance will be identified at graduation with the following designations:

Summa Cum Laude - 3.90 - 4.00

Magna Cum Laude - 3.80 - 3.89

Cum Laude - 3.70 - 3.78

Repeating a Course

Students who receive an F (Fail) grade in a course may repeat that course one time in order to earn a passing grade. Failure of the same course a second time may result in dismissal from the University. GPA will be computed by the grade earned in the second attempt. Both course grades will remain on the transcript.